Kaouther Ben Hania’s ‘Four Daughters’ Scores Slew of Cannes Deals for The Party Film Sales (EXCLUSIVE)

Neil Young, 77, is hitting the road for the first time since 2019.However, the former Buffalo Springfrield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young singer will be mixing things up for his ‘Coastal Tour’ taking place exclusively in California, Oregon and Washington this July.At all 13 upcoming acoustic gigs, the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee will be performing songs he’s never played live before according to the Neil Young Archives.That doesn’t mean he’s just playing new stuff — just not “Heart of Gold” which he doesn’t want audiences to compare to how he sounded singing the classic tune live in 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020.

Marta Balaga Ukrainian phenomenon “Mavka” is expanding its universe. Following the premiere of feature film “Mavka. The Forest Song,” it is now set to become a 3D animated series as well. Directed by Oleh Malamuzh, it will be produced by Animagrad Studio – part of the Film.UA Group – with France’s TeamTO already on board as co-development partner. The project, which will be teased at Annecy’s Partners Pitch, will serve as a prequel to the film, explains Film.UA’s Kseniya Baranova. “It’s set immediately after the battle between humans and Lesh, the forest guardian, which happened while the rest of the forest dwellers were in their deep winter sleep,” she said.

Salma Hayek is opening up about the downside of growing older.

Cage The Elephant frontman Matt Shultz has walked away with a no-jail plea deal after being arrested for illegal possession of two loaded guns in January.Shultz was arrested at the Bowery Hotel in Lower Manhattan on January 5, the day after an employee allegedly saw him carrying a handgun into the ground floor public toilets. The prosecutors claimed Shultz appeared to be intoxicated at the time and when the police arrived at his hotel room, they found two guns and a set of 11 Polaroid photos, some of which showed the firearm in question.Following the arrest, Shultz’s lawyer Sanford Talkin told a judge that the guns were purchased legally and registered to him, but not in New York.Now, The New York Post reports that Shultz pleaded guilty to three charges of attempted criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon.A deal was struck that would mean Shultz would avoid jail should he abide by certain conditions.

Marvel Studios has released its first set pic for the upcoming instalment of its first Avengers film, “Captain America 4”.

Tenacious D have released a recorded version of their viral cover of Chris Isaak‘s ‘Wicked Game’ – check out the video below.The fan-favourite cover, which was originally performed in December for SiriusXM, comes weeks after the duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass released their first new track in five years titled ‘Video Games’.Directed by longtime collaborator Taylor Stephens, the video for the track features both Black and Gass frolicking by the sea while wearing their undergarments. It’s a homage to the original video of the 1989 hit which featured Isaak and model Helena Christensen.Their previous single, ‘Video Games’, was released last month.

spare change.Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle are reportedly “hopeful” they can sell the film rights to the Duke of Sussex’s popular memoir “Spare.”Markle, 41, and Harry, 38, “are in a win-win position,” a “senior source” told the Daily Express.“He will command a top-dollar fee for the rights, while involving [their foundation] Arche­well would mean a more lucrative ‘double dip,’ ” the insider is quoted as saying.Netflix is considered a top contender for the rights, as Harry and Markle, a former actress, in 2020 signed a multi-year deal with the media giant that’s estimated to be worth $100 million.The couple released their docuseries “Harry & Meghan” last year, detailing their fateful introduction in 2016, their wedding in 2018, and their move to Montecito, California, in 2020.The streaming service could be angling to amp up its royal content as the hit series “The Crown” wraps up its sixth and final season later this year.“Given the success of ‘Spare’ and Harry’s cachet, he can count on a record or near-record deal,” the source added to the Daily Express. The Post has reached out to Harry’s reps and Netflix for comment.

Sophia Scorziello editor “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “E.T.” were just some of the films recognized at the 16th Krakow Film Music Festival in Krakow, Poland. The festival concluded on Monday, wrapping up the celebration of this year’s celestial lineup. “Faced by the challenges posed by the pandemic, as well as the war that broke out at our doorstep, many of us have taken refuge in cinematic works – either trying to glimpse into the future or relive the amazing films from our childhood,” said Carolina Pietyra, director of the Krakow Festival office, in a statement. “The headline of this year’s edition of the Krakow Film Music Festival – Out of Space – stands for everything that takes us to other spaces and responds to our longing to explore realms unknown.”

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor During the Cannes Film Festival, 20 emerging producers from across Europe took part in European Film Promotion’s promotion and networking platform Producers on the Move. They had been selected by the 37 national film institutes that are members of EFP. Variety invited them to pitch their projects to our readers, which we present below. Gentian Koçi, AlbaniaProject: “Cold Sun” (in development)Director: Gentian KoçiAs he attempts to rebuild his life in his hometown after being freed from jail after serving a 25-year sentence for killing his wife, a man in his fifties falls in love with a woman in her forties and gradually realizes that this love is going to be his true prison.

When you hear the name Tony Stark the actor that comes to mind is Robert Downey Jr. as he played him in the MCU starting with 2008’s Iron Man. However, Downey was not always going to play the billionaire philanthropist and was in talks to play a whole different character.

Two films by Arab women directors are sharing the L’Oeil d’or (Golden Eye) prize for the best documentary in Cannes. Four Daughters (Les Filles d’Olfa) by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania and The Mother of All Lies (La Mère de tous les mensonges) by Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir were announced as the winners at a joint ceremony this morning at the Palais in Cannes.

CANNES: Docudramas are inherently difficult to master. You’re attempting to meld real-life footage or people with actors and, often, fictionalized accounts that may substantially differ from the truth.

Pierre Creton, has won the SACD Prize, awarded by France’s Writers’ Guild for the best French-language movie in the section. Written by Mathilde Girard, Cyril Neyrat and Vincent Barré, and directed by Creton, who combines his film career with work as an agricultural labourer, “A Prince” has weighed in at this year’s Directors Fortnight as one of the most singular of titles, whose central narrative turns on a horticultural student, Pierre-Joseph. His mentors, botany teacher Alberto and plant nursery owner Adrien, soon become his lovers.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Álvaro Morte, immortalized by his performance as the Professor in “Money Heist,” has inked a multi-year producing deal with Sony Pictures Television through his Madrid-based production company 300 Pistolas, which he founded alongside Blanca Clemente. The accord sees 300 Pistolas, a theater company, making the transition into producing scripted TV, with Morte developing English-language scripted series exclusively with SPT, which he and Clemente will serve on as producers via 300 Pistolas.  Morte and Clemente will have access to SPT’s development teams. SPT will serve as exclusive production and distribution partner to any projects produced under the deal, SPT confirmed Wednesday.

Lise Pedersen Moving towards a more equitable and accountable curation in film programming and selection processes, ethical representation in storytelling and the challenges posed by the lack of awareness and accountability was at the heart of a panel discussion at Cannes Docs, the Cannes Film Market event dedicated to documentary film, on May 20. Panelists included Egyptian director and producer Nada Riyadh, British-Chinese writer and director Paul Sng, Brazilian producer Yolanda Maria Barroso and Swedish producer Malin Hüber; it was moderated by the BFI’s Race Equality Lead Rico Johnson-Sinclair. Opening on a positive note, Riyadh said that, “as an Arab woman,” she welcomed the presence in the official selection at Cannes this year of docs by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania (“Four Daughters,” main competition) and Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir (“The Mother of All Lies,” Un Certain Regard), even though “in the real world I still get asked whether I do docs or real films,” she added with a smile.

EXCLUSIVE: Leading Egyptian independent production company Film Clinic is gearing up for the shoot of The Inevitable Journey Of Finding The Wedding Dress by Jaylan Auf.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Kirsten Niehuus, CEO at Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, which funds films and TV series production in the Berlin region, and Simone Baumann, managing director of German Films, which promotes and supports the release of German films abroad, welcomed a wide array of guests to their garden party at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday. Three Medienboard-funded films are in this year’s Competition: Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s “Four Daughters,” Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner’s “Club Zero,” and U.S. helmer Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City.” Niehuus told Variety: “Those are three very different productions, but it shows the spectrum [of films] that Medienboard supports.” Tunisian films, like “Four Daughters,” need international co-production funding to get made, she said, and “we believe in world cinema, so were very happy [to back it].” Hausner is “one of the most impressive female filmmakers [in the world], and I think there should be more female filmmakers on the Croisette and every other ‘A’ festival,” she said. “Asteroid City” is “the best of American arthouse filmmaking; very stylish, with a great narrative – so we love it,” she said.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Kaouther Ben Hania, the Oscar-nominated director of “The Man Who Sold His Skin” whose latest film “Four Daughters” is competing at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, will next direct “Mimesis,” an epic love story set in Tunisia. While the plot is under wraps, the story is set in two different periods, the 1990s and the 1940s, paying tribute to cinema and Arab-Muslim cultural heritage. It’s being produced by Nadim Cheikhrouha at Tanit Films, who produced Ben Hania’s “Four Daughters” and her previous film “The Man Who Sold His Skin” which world premiered at Venice where it won best actor for Yahya Mahayni and was nominated for best international film at the Oscars in 2021.

Using actors to bring to life story elements within documentary film is becoming a more widespread practice, if one that’s still viewed with skepticism by some purists.

Jessica Kiang Late on in Kaouther Ben Hania’s compelling, ambitious hybrid “Four Daughters,” Olfa Hamrouni — the film’s focus, its fixation and its most charismatically contradictory character — strokes a purring, heavily pregnant ginger cat. Sometimes, she tells us, a cat will be so scared for her babies that she eats them. It’s Olfa’s covert acknowledgement that her own misguided protective urge, forged by her hard history with men and mother alike, might have contributed to her life’s great, rupturing tragedy: when, in 2015, the elder two of her four girls ran away to join ISIS. But it also recalls one of her earlier to-camera segments, when she described her daughters, as though shielding herself from the pain of the real with the language of fable, as having been “devoured by the wolf.” So which is it: Were Ghofran and Rahma, 16 and 15 at the time of their disappearance, eaten up by their cat-mother or consumed by the predatory wolves of religious fundamentalism, cultural indoctrination, ISIS itself?